


A Dangerous Seed

by RonansFavoriteBoots



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), captain america: civil war - Fandom
Genre: First Meeting, Fluff, M/M, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Shy Peter Parker, Shy Tony Stark, Starker, Starker fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 00:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18354908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RonansFavoriteBoots/pseuds/RonansFavoriteBoots
Summary: Building memories is a dangerous seedBecause once planted it never leavesRoots grow further into once lifeless dirtand if those roots continue to grow and if one day they are ripped up goddamn will it hurt- Xoe Arabella,Dear Theodore





	A Dangerous Seed

**Author's Note:**

> It's Robert Downey Jr's birthday!
> 
> The beginning of this is almost entirely that scene from Civil War (Thank you Marvel writers for all of the brilliant conversation. Please don't sue me.) we all know and love, but I've felt the need to write what Tony Stark was experiencing during those brief first moments with Peter.
> 
> I'm going to find a way to tie this in to my current story I have going, so enjoy this small prequel to Ikigai.

Tony hadn't realized just how bad of a decision this was until he was sitting in Peter Parker's living room. The kid's Aunt May kept offering foods and drinks, none of which appealed to him. He came here for one reason, and one reason only: he had to find the kid in the onesie.  
  
"I'm sorry," the aunt apologized. "He's been running a bit behind recently, a new study group.”  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Tony said with a smile up at her.

  
She seemed nervous, but she didn't ask any of the questions Tony knew were bubbling right under the surface.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want a piece of walnut date loaf? He could be a while longer."  
  
"Sure," Tony said. "Please, I would love some."  
  
He was handed a slice, which stood in his grasp as stiff as a cracker. He blinked at it before taking a small, experimental, bite. He chewed, once, then shoved it into his cheek as he feigned swallowing. "Thank you, May. This is very interesting."  
  
Before she could speak again, he heard the door unlocking. He could already hear the tinny music coming from Peter's cheap headphones, and it kept him in place, watching May. He realized, then, that he was nervous.  
  
Peter came around the divider in their kitchen, talking about his car parked outside, Happy waiting in the driver's seat for Tony's return.  
  
"Umm," Peter began as he pulled out his headphones.  
  
"Oh," Tony said as if he hadn't been anticipating Peter's arrival. "Mr. Parker!"  
  
"Um, what?" Peter began again, his nervous laughter bubbling into his voice. "Um, what are you do–Hey. I-I'm Peter."  
  
"Tony."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Peter's stuttered out question brought a crooked smile to Tony's lips.  
  
"It's about time we met. You've been getting my emails, right?" Tony asked, his face screwing up in multiple winks, hoping Peter would get his message.  
  
"Yeah," Peter began to play along. He shot a look to his Aunt May before saying, "Regarding the...."  
  
"You didn't tell me about the grant," Aunt May said.  
  
"Right, the grant," Peter said. His cheeks were pink, which Tony found extremely endearing. _The kid is a bad liar_ , he thought.  
  
"The September Foundation," Tony explained. "Remember when you applied?"  
  
"Y-yeah."  
  
"I approved! So now, we're in business." Tony gave Peter a pointed look, telling him _don't ask questions, wait until we're alone, I have questions for you, keep your mouth shut, this has nothing to do with a grant, all in the span of a 2 second glance._

 

_..._

 

"It's so hard to believe she's someone's aunt," Tony said about May. He was looking at Peter, trying to gauge his reaction. Tony was smiling, flattering May, all while making eye contact with Peter. 

"We come in all shapes and sizes, you know," May said, the blush on her cheeks obvious.  
  
"This walnut date loaf is... It's exceptional," Tony lied.  
  
Peter gave a disapproving look as he said, "Let me just stop you there." He waited for Tony's approval before adding, "Does this grant got, like, money involved, or whatever? No?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Well, it's pretty well funded. Look who you're talking to," Tony said. When he turned to May, he asked, "Can I get five minutes alone with him?"

  
...

  
Tony locked the door behind them, his first mission: get this fucking date loaf out of his mouth. For the first time, it had begun to feel moist, and now he could actually taste it. He found a trash can, ignoring the bundled up pile of tissues in it as he spit out his food.  
  
"As walnut date loaves go, that wasn't bad," Tony said as he began to glance around the room. It was simple, and small, and didn't look like it would house the person he had seen in those videos.  
  
The twin beg was neatly made, and the desk was nearly free of clutter that wasn't being used for something. Tony learned something very quickly about Peter, he cared greatly for anything in his possession, with his room being the cleanest in the house.  
  
"Ohhh," Tony said, looking over the computer's and motherboards on Peter's desk. "Retro tech. Thrift store? Salvation army?"  
  
"Uh, the uh... Garb–"  
  
"You're a dumpster diver?" Tony asked blandly.  
  
"Yeah.... I uh, anyway, look. Um, I definitely did not apply for your grant."  
  
"Uh uh, me first," Tony said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. "Quick question of the rhetorical variety: That's you, right?"  
  
His phone projected a video of a man trying to break into a car, suddenly a different man in a red and blue suit swings into frame. He shoots a web around the guy's foot, dragging him to the ground as he continues to swing. Through the video, Tony can see Peter's face turn bright red.  
  
Tony had seen these videos countless times. He watched them, studied them, learned everything he could from the quick clips uploaded to YouTube. The first time he saw them, he couldn't believe them. The grace, elegance, and strength, packed into that lean body that was now standing directly in front of him.  
  
"Um, no," Peter said as he crossed his arms defiantly.  
  
"Um, yeah," Tony said. He continued watching the video, Peter whipping himself into frame just in time to stop a speeding car from hitting a bus. The car lifted onto its front wheels from the pressure of Peter's strength pressing it back, the bus ending up completely unscathed.  
  
" _Look at you_ ," Tony said, unable to hide the admiration from his voice. "Three thousand pounds, forty miles an hour. That's impressive, kid. You've got mad skills." He took a step towards Peter, who leaned out of his space as they switched spots. They made eye contact, and the look in Peter's eyes made it clear that he didn't know what game they were currently playing, he was just determined to win in. Tony decided that they could both win.  
  
"C'mon, Mr. Stark. You know people fake videos on the internet," Peter said. He made himself busy by tidying up his already tidied desk, but Tony said nothing about it.  
  
Tony found a broom leaning against the wall, knowing that it was not used for cleaning on these carpeted floors. He grabbed it, shoving it into the door in the ceiling. He barely registered the bundled up suit falling in front of his eyes before Peter was grabbing it and shoving it into his closet.  
  
"So," Tony said. "You're this... Spiderling. Crime Fighting Spider. Spider-Boy?"  
  
"Spider-Man," Peter said. His voice small. He was shy about Tony finding out. Even after Tony had shared his amazement at all of the power he had, he was shy.  
  
"Not in that onesie, you're not," Tony said. He had already been planning out Peter's suit for weeks, since he first saw the videos popping up. It needed to be sleek, flexible, but able to protect this kid in front of him. The pajama set he was currently wearing, along with some swimming goggles, was not going to keep him safe.

 ...

"Who else knows? Anybody?"

  
"Nobody."  
  
"Not even your unusually attractive Aunt?" Tony asked, trying to sound casual. He was holding on to Peter's suit, sitting on the small stool tucked away against the wall.  He remembered the first time he took out his own suit for the first time, becoming Iron Man, and how dangerous it was that no one knew it was him actually trying to save lives instead of taking them. 

...

 

"You know what I think is really cool?" Tony asked, tossing the small vial at Peter. "This webbing. The tensile strength is off the charts. Who manufactured that?"

  
Tony already knew the answer, so he wasn't surprised when Peter responded, "I made it."  
  
" _Lord_ ," Tony said when he held Peter's goggles up to his face. "Can you even see out of these?"  
  
Peter yanked the suit and goggles out of Tony's firm grip with a flick of his wrist, and Tony was quickly reminded just how strong this kid was.  
  
"I can see out of them, Mr. Stark. When whatever happened happened, it's just like.... All of my senses were dialed up to eleven. With so much input, those just help me focus."  
  
"You are in dire need of an upgrade, kid. Systemic, top-to-bottom, and that's why I'm here." When Peter took a seat on his bed, Tony continued. "Why are you doing this? I gotta know, what's your M.O., what gets you out of that twin bed in the morning?"  
  
"Because..." Peter blew out a breath. "Because, I've been me my whole life, and I've had these powers for six months. I read books, I build computers. And yeah, I would love to play football, but I couldn't then so I can't now."  
  
"Because you're different."  
  
"Exactly. But I can't tell anyone that, so... I'm not. When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen... They happen because of you."  
  
Tony saw a part of himself, then, sitting on that twin bed. The part of him that he wished had been nurtured from a younger age, even if it had just started at sixteen, from anyone in his life.  
  
The part of him that just wanted to learn, and grow, and to help others. A major piece of that part of him passed away with his father, and an even larger part when he had turned 21 and taken over his father's business. The head of Stark manufacturers, the name who had brought fear to so many lives.  
  
Tony had been fighting so hard to get that part back, since he first learned of the power he had with Iron Man. Tony swore to help nurture Peter's need to help others as he swallowed back the lump forming in his throat.  
  
The two of them made eye contact, then, truly seeing each other. They wore matching expressions of regret and guilt, the mirror image making them both look away.  
  
"So, you want to look out for the little guy. Do your part, make the world a better place," Tony said, his tone light enough to attempt lifting the heavy mood that settled in the small room, but his voice still dropped with his own thoughts.  
  
Peter, sensing this, tried to make his voice lighter as well. "Yeah, yeah! Protect the little guy... That's what this is."  
  
Tony stood, releasing a harsh breath as he walked over to small bed. His lungs still felt tight with emotion as he said, "I'm gonna sit here, so move the leg."  
  
The creak of the mattress under Peter's weight as he moved let Tony know he could sit, since he refused to look at him. He had met thousands of people in his lifetime, but he had never felt so exposed and raw.  
  
He clamped a firm hand down on Peter's shoulder, whose head was hanging where he sat.  
  
"You got a passport?" Tony asked.  
  
"N-no, I don't even have a driver's license."  
  
"You even been to Germany?"–"No."–"Oh, you're gonna love it."  
  
"I can't just go to Germany Mr. Stark."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I've got.... Homework."  
  
Tony's eyes rolled back into his head, all lingering feelings of mourning his innocence completely gone as the pain from his swollen eye sweeped into his senses.  
  
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Tony said as he rolled off of Peter's bed.  
  
"No, I'm serious. I can't just drop out of school."  
  
"It might be a little dangerous," Tony said as he reached for the door. I better tell Aunt Hottie–."  
  
His hand was stuck firmly to the door, surrounded by webbing that felt surprisingly cool. Tony, after watching every video he could of Peter's, had decided that his webs probably would have felt like silly string from a party store. Instead, he was pleased to find out, it felt like silk. Smooth to the touch, but strong.  
  
Tony looked up from his hand, which wouldn't budge, to find Peter looking at him with an authority that he didn't have before. Peter lowered his hand, firmly saying, "Do not tell Aunt May."  
  
"Alright, Spider-Man," Tony confirmed. Again, they looked at each other, a solid level of respect in each of their eyes. "Get me out of this, kid."  
  
Peter hurried to his desk. He pulled out another vial, pouring it over the web. Tony began to protest as the webs fell away, not wanting to risk a chemical burn, but the liquid didn't have any affect on him. He stretched out his hand, looking it over.  
  
"Can you teach me how to make this stuff?" Tony asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I don't... I ran out of stuff for it."  
  
Tony released a breath, reaching into his pocket for a business card. He placed it in Peter's hand, but refused to hand it over just yet.  
  
"This is my personal phone number," Tony began. "You will give this number to no one, goggles. Got it?"  
  
"Got it.

...

 

It was after 11 when Peter finally messaged Tony. Tony made a bet with himself that he would have a text the moment he was making his way down the stairs, so the notifications surprised him.

 

_aunt may is excited for me to go_

_she thinks it’s for an internship_

_What made her think that?_

_i told her you offered me an intern position_

_there's no other way she would have allowed it_

_I could have spoken with her._

_no_

_No?_

 

_if i die i don't want her to blame you_

 …

 

Tony stayed awake that night, thinking about how harshly he would blame himself if Peter got hurt in Germany. He knew exactly who he was up against, and he couldn't do it alone, but he could protect Peter with all he had, even in a war zone.

Tony made a few adjustments to the suit he was making for Peter. He added what he decided to call the Baby Monitor Protocol so he could keep an eye on them if they got separated. He also added anything else he might need, because it's Germany.

He added a heater in case Peter got cold during a fight, since the material was so thin. He added a parachute in case he fell, and tucked it in behind the large spider emblem across the chest.

He made the lenses dark from the inside since he learned about his sensory issues. He also made it so the lenses would move with Peter's face, since he enjoyed his expressions so much.

Tony didn't quite realize how deep he was, until he heard the buzzer coming from downstairs, letting him know that Peter was there and waiting to come up. His hands flexed with the need to hide what he had made from Peter, now feeling wholly embarrassed by how much care was being put into each detail.

Tony stared at the suit on the Peter sized mannequin until he heard the buzzer again. “Let him up,” Tony told F.R.I.D.A.Y., going to wait by the elevator door for Peter.

When the doors slid open, there was Peter in the same hoodie as yesterday, grinning up at Tony.

“Hey, Mr. Stark,” he said, stepping into Tony's workspace.

“Spiderling,” Tony said by way of greeting. He tamped down his nervousness, nodding in the direction of his main workbench. “Come on, I have something for you.”

Peter's backpack crashed to the floor, and Tony realized that's all the kid had planned on bringing to Germany. Tony's bags were already upstairs, packed and ready to go.

Tony led Peter over to the mannequin, turning on his heel to see the kid's reaction to the suit. It was the same color scheme as his last one, but everything else was just _better_ in Tony's opinion.

“ _Whoa,_ ” Peter said, circling around the mannequin. “Is this for me, Mr. Stark?” His eyes were lit up, full of hope, but he tried to keep his face calm to hide possible disappointment.

“Yeah, it's yours. Doesn't fit me. Try it on,” Tony said. He pushed on the fiberglass spider, and the silken material fell easily off if the display. He handed it to Peter, who held it like it could break at any moment.

“Mr. Stark, I–.”

“Try it on, Peter. It's for you.”

Peter went behind the workbench, which only hid his lower half from view as he shyly took off his clothes. Tony watched him out of the corner of his eye as he cleaned up the extra materials, tossing them in the bin beside the table.

“Mr. Stark,” Peter said. “I think it may need a few sizing adjustments.”

When Tony looked at Peter full on, he gave him a fond smile. The suit was slipping off his shoulders, the mask looking soggy on his head. Tony tucked the mask into the suit, and then pressed on the spider.

The quick whirring noise was drowned out by Peter's “ _oh_ ,” as the suit tightened around his body. It was a perfect fit, which has Tony letting out a sigh of relief.

“Move around, get a feel for it,” Tony said, but Peter was already moving his feet.

Peter was bending every way he could on his feet, he tested out the jumping capabilities. When he shook out his arms, about to try climbing, a simple flick of his wrist had webs shooting out.

Peter let out a startled noise, because the masked eyes began to narrow in on the webs, then at Tony.

“You…” Peter began.

“I can explain.”

“You _stole_ from me. Came into my apartment and stole _my_ webbing.”

“You stole every ingredient in that webbing from your high school chemistry lab, Peter,” Tony said, which effectively quieted the boy. “I took a vial so I could run some tests, and I figured out a way for your suit to constantly generate new webbing, without you needing to stop to…. _reload._ I found a way to stabilize the ingredients, letting them flow through the material of the suit, just waiting for your signal to form a web.”

Peter was quiet, looking at his hands in the suit. He flexed his fingers before asking, “How fast?”

“90 milliseconds. Any faster than that and the whole mechanism breaks.”

“ _Whoa_. That's better, thanks!”

…

 

Peter stays in the suit, insisting that it's more comfortable than his clothes. Tony makes him take off the mask, claiming that he doesn't want the lenses to get busted before he can even use them properly.

Happy delivered a pizza, taking a few slices before he left for the night. Tony and Peter stayed up, discussing the different uses of the suit that he may need. Peter, needing something to do while he listened, decided that pushing on the spider would be the best option. Each time it happened, Tony's thought was stopped by the small whirring sound, and the flash of skin he got before the suit tightened up again.

Tony excused himself to bed quickly after midnight.

 … 

 

Peter stayed awake after trying to fall asleep on the couch. He never liked leather, and the barely used cushions did not welcome his body in a way that he liked, so he went to sit at Tony's desk.

He talked with F.R.I.D.A.Y., asking her any question that came to mind.

“Is the Iron Man suit here?” Peter asked, glancing around the open workspace.

“It is locked away, Peter Parker. You have a flight in the morning,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. reminded Peter. “You should be resting.”

“No,” Peter said, spinning in the desk chair. “The couch isn't comfortable, and there's not even a TV. I like to watch things if I'm going to sleep.”

“What would you like to watch?”

Suddenly, a projection was showing in front of Peter. It was just a list of files, none of which he recognized the name of. He blew out a breath, reading through the files again.

“Let’s just watch 'Log 001’.”

The projection changed from the names of files, showing a younger looking Tony Stark standing in front of a row of shiny cars. He wore the Iron Man legs, and the bracers on his arms. He attempted to lift off the ground, but the position he was in shot him straight into the wall. Peter cringed, but he couldn't look away from the video.

Peter watched all that he could find, watching Tony slowly learn how to use the suit he created. Peter's chest felt tight when Tony finally figured it out, and he proudly said, “ _Oh, I can fly._ ”

"I think that's enough, F.R.I.D.A.Y.," Tony said as he entered the dim room. 

Peter couldn't see him until the video he was watching paused and then the projection as a whole disappeared. Peter leaped out of his seat, backing away from the desk when he saw Tony with his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"Why are you still awake, kid?"

"Oh, um... I've never slept anywhere but my bed, and it's kind of creepy down here, so I'm having a hard–."  


"Come on," Tony said, turning on the ball of his feet as he began to leave the room. He turned off lights behind him as he went.  


"What?"  


"I need you on your A game tomorrow, and that requires sleep. If you can only sleep in a bed, _come on_."

 

…

 

“Are you mad?” Peter asked into the dark room.

They were both settled on the bed, as far away from each other as possible. One of Tony's legs was entirely off of the bed, keeping his body propped onto it.

“I'm not mad. What were you even doing watching those? They're private, Peter.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. just showed them to me. I'm _sorry,_ Mr. Stark. I didn't mean to invade your privacy. I just… you just came into my life, and now I'm going to Germany to fight in a war with you, and I just know nothing about _you_.”

“If you've seen the news, you know everything you need to know about me, kid.”

The silence between them was thick. Tony knew it was a lie, but he didn't know Peter, either. He had just set up a few robberies, hoping to track him down. It worked, and now here he was, laying in his bed. He didn't want to share any more of himself with the kid he was likely dragging to his death, just like he didn't want to know anything else about Peter. Not until he knew they would be safe.

“That's…” Peter began.

“Depressing?” Tony offered. He was staring at the ceiling, refusing to look at Peter.

“ _Disappointing_ ,” Peter corrected.

Tony felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He didn't know if it was from being a disappointment for Peter, who he wanted so badly to impress, or _agreeing_ that he was disappointing.

“I don't want to disappoint you, kid,” Tony said, finally braving a glance in the direction of Peter. He couldn't see him, but he could _feel_ him. The darkness made everything feel more distant, like they were having a phone call instead of sharing a bed.

“Then _don't_ ,” Peter said.

Peter's voice sounded a bit closer to Tony, and that made a shiver travel down his spine. He had already grown so fond of Peter, before they had even met. Now that they had, Tony felt it rooting down inside of his chest, making it hard to breathe around him.

“I won't.”

  
  


  
  



End file.
